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John Adams/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim sits at a table with Moby and three other robots: Cycloid, Little Jimmy, and a Hill-Bot. There are stamps and magnifying glasses in front of each of them. Tim bangs a gavel. TIM: I now convene the first meeting of our new stamp club. He shakes hands with Little Jimmy. Moby frowns at Tim. MOBY: Beep. Moby frowns and crosses his arms. TIM: Oh; come off it, man. You can run for president again next time. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, who was John Adams? Why was he so important? From, Kelsey. John Adams was America's second president and one of the most influential Founding Fathers. An image shows John Adams. TIM: He was born in Massachusetts in 1735. A map of five U.S. states shows Massachusetts. TIM: After graduating from Harvard at age 20, he started a career in law. An animation shows Adams at Harvard. TIM: His sharp intellect and wide-ranging knowledge made him one of the brightest minds in the legal field! An image shows John Adams reading a law book. TIM: In 1764, he married Abigail Smith, and they went on to have five children, including future President John Quincy Adams! An image shows Abigail Smith and her five children. TIM: Of course, there wasn't a country to be President of yet, but Adams would help change that during the American Revolution! MOBY: Beep? TIM: No, he wasn't a military hero like George Washington or a popular leader like his cousin Samuel Adams. Side by side images show George Washington and Samuel Adams. TIM: Instead, Adams used words, both spoken and written, to argue on behalf of individual freedom and republicanism. That's a type of government where the people elect leaders to represent them and make laws. Adams made his first big splash by opposing the Stamp Act, which the British Parliament passed in 1765. An animation shows the Stamp Act. The word Approved is stamped on it. MOBY: Beep. Moby grabs a pile of stamps on the table. TIM: No, it wasn't a tax on postage stamps, it was a tax on printed material, including newspapers, contracts, diplomas, even playing cards. In a series of newspaper essays, Adams argued that since the colonists had no representatives in British Parliament, Parliament couldn't tax them! An animation shows Adams writing an essay. TIM: In 1770, Adams agreed to defend British soldiers charged with murder in the Boston Massacre, a bloody confrontation that left five colonists dead. An image shows colonists being shot by British soldiers in Boston. Some colonists are lying dead on the ground. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, he wanted to show that justice was more important than politics, and that even the enemy deserved a fair trial. When the Continental Congress met to discuss growing problems with Britain, Massachusetts sent Adams as one of its delegates. He spoke passionately in support of a permanent separation from Britain. An animation shows Adams literally drop into the Continental Congress meeting. TIM: And after Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, Adams played a pivotal role in convincing the other delegates to approve it, which they did on July 4, 1776! An image shows Jefferson presenting the Declaration of Independence to the delegates. TIM: During the Revolution, Adams served as a diplomat in Europe, and he eventually helped negotiate the peace treaty with the British. After the war, he became America's first ambassador to Great Britain! An animation shows Adams meeting the British king. TIM: When Adams returned to the United States, he found himself swept up in the politics of his new home country. In the first presidential election in 1789, George Washington ran unopposed, and Adams received the most votes for vice president. An animation shows Adams and Washington waving to a crowd. TIM: Adams served two terms, but it was a frustrating experience because Washington rarely asked him for his advice. An animation shows Washington ignoring Adams he seethes in the background. TIM: In the election of 1796, though, Adams beat his old friend Thomas Jefferson to become the next U.S. President. Under the rules at the time, the runner-up became vice president. An animation shows Adams and Jefferson waving at a crowd. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, George Washington was a tough act to follow, and Adam's presidency had its share of challenges. Two political parties began to emerge: the Federalists, who supported a strong central government, and the Democratic-Republicans, who wanted to give more power to the people and individual states. An animation shows a balance scale with the Federalists and a picture of the Capitol Building on one side, and the Democratic-Republicans and a picture of a crowd on the other side. TIM: Adams was a Federalist, but he didn't really get along with the party's most vocal leader, Alexander Hamilton. An image shows Adams standing behind Hamilton, seething. TIM: And he still had to deal with the Democratic-Republicans. They were led by his own vice president, Thomas Jefferson, who was now his biggest political rival. An image shows Adams seething behind Jefferson and another man. TIM: It didn't help that Adams had a stubborn and argumentative personality, which made it hard for him to compromise! Meanwhile, the French started seizing American merchant ships at sea. An animation shows a French ship blocking an American ship. TIM: This led to an undeclared naval war known as the Quasi-War. With tensions rising, an all-out war with France seemed inevitable. Back home, the Federalists tried to silence their opposition by pushing Adams to sign the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. An image shows scheming Federalists standing behind Adams as he signs the Acts. TIM: These four laws made it illegal to publish any criticism of the government. They also made life difficult for immigrants, who mostly supported the Democratic-Republicans. Side by side animations show a man's mouth being taped shut and a foot kicking an immigrant. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, Adams believed the laws were a necessary evil with the country on the brink of war. The crises ended in 1799 when Adams negotiated a peace treaty with France. But that turned pro-war Federalists like Alexander Hamilton against him. An animation shows Adams watching an American and French representative shake hands. An angry Hamilton walks over to Adams and scowls. TIM: Without the support of Hamilton and his followers, Adams lost the election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson. An animation shows Jefferson and his Vice President, Aaron Burr, waving to cheering crowd. Adams is in the background, looking disappointed. TIM: Tired of the stress and conflicts of political life, Adams returned to his Massachusetts farm to enjoy some peace and quiet with Abigail. An image shows Adams and Abigail walking in their snow-covered farm. TIM: In his retirement, he wrote many letters to his old friends, including Jefferson. The two men patched up their relationship after Jefferson's term ended. Side by side images show Adams writing a letter and Jefferson holding the letter. TIM: After seeing his son become the sixth president of the United States, John Adams died at home on July 4, 1826. An animation shows Adam's family besides him at his deathbed while fireworks show through the window. TIM: It was 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, he may have been the second president, but as a leading voice of the American Revolution, he was second to none! Moby holds the gavel. TIM: Not so fast... you're not president... yet! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts